Brotherly Love
by SilentJo
Summary: Touya Todoroki wanted to be a hero others could depend on. Being the oldest of his siblings, he swore to keep them safe from the dangers of the world. Even if that meant protecting them from their father's obsession.
1. Chapter 1

My first day of training with my father, the famous hero Endeavor, didn't go well. My Quirk had just presented, and when it did, he wasted little time in getting me to start using it.

"Wow, such a beautiful blue flame, Touya," my mother said when I lit a small fire in the palm of my hand. "You'll be an amazing hero someday."

It made me smile to hear the joy in her voice. Her encouragement was what I needed to hear once my training began. Father cared little for how pretty my Quirk was, he only wanted to make it stronger. Results were his only goal. Being a clueless five-year-old, I put my faith in the fact that he was doing this to help me grow into the hero I wanted to be. I was enthusiastic when we started to work together and put my all into everything my father asked of me. At the end of those long days, I looked forward to telling Mom how I improved and what I had learned.

My first real day of training ended with me on the floor, heaving as I vomited up my lunch. This wasn't what I was expecting. Father did nothing to comfort me as he angrily yanked me back up until I stood on my own and pushed me to repeat the same exercise again. My hands were getting too hot, and the dizziness in my head wouldn't go away. It wasn't until I had passed out from the pain that he decided to call it a day. Once I woke up, he told me in a cold tone to clean myself up and get ready for dinner. I couldn't even hold my chopsticks properly after the damage done to my hands.

It took a few years of painful exercises, violent outbursts, and hospital visits to realize that this wasn't for my sake at all. My father only saw me as a tool to be used to achieve his own goals. And once he saw that one of his tools was growing dull, he would move on to the next one. I had to avoid that at all costs. My sister and little brother didn't deserve to experience this kind of training.

On the rare occasion I got to spend time with them, they helped me to see that there was more to this isolated existence than to be a mere puppet for our father's own dreams. Rather than envy them for the fact that father ignored them, I enjoyed the times I was able to see them. It helped me to realize that I wasn't going through this pain for my own volition, but to ensure they didn't have to suffer this same fate. Seeing their smiling faces helped me to get through the next training day. As their older brother, I only wanted to maintain their innocence for a little while longer.

Unfortunately, by own body would betray me at every turn. My mother's ice ability was etched into my constitution, and it fought against my father's fire constantly. It was getting to be too much for me to take.

"You're nothing but a disappointment, Touya. Such a strong ability held within a weak body," Father said as he stood over me, having once again collapsed during his latest attempt at improving my power. The scent of my skin burning once again assaulted my nostrils as I clutched my scorched arms against my chest. I was ten years old.

"This has gone on long enough, Enji, you can't keep doing this to Touya!" Mom had been told countless times not to interfere with my training, but she'd grown weary of hearing the screams and seeing the bruises and burns. She gathered me into her arms and walked out of the room. Her stomach was swollen, my newest sibling would soon be joining our 'family', but she still had the strength to carry me away.

Father chased after us, "You're the reason he's weak, Rei!"

"You knew that I had a weak constitution; that I couldn't hold up against heat. Neither can Touya, that's just the way he was born. His body was built to accommodate an ice Quirk, not one for fire! This obsession you have with All Might has gone too far!"

"Any Quirk can be improved through training, plain and simple. A body can be made stronger through hard work and effort. I told you not to interrupt me when I'm working with him. It's my job to make him tougher, and you're negating all my progress!" He grabbed Mother's shoulder and spun her around to face him. Clutching me tight against her chest, I sunk my face into her shirt, as if doing so could shield me from my father's wrath.

"Don't touch me! He needs to go to the hospital _again_ ; his burns haven't even finished healing from the last time. You promised me that you would stop until he was better. I can't keep doing this, Enji. Shoto will be here before we know it, and-"

Father's hand thrust forward, catching her by the throat and pushing her into the wall. The impact loosened her grip on me as I fell to the ground.

"Mom!" I looked up through teary eyes to see him still clutching her neck, whispering something into her ear. Her own tears started to flow as she reacted to whatever he had to say to her. He let her go and walked off in the other direction. Mom wiped her face dry and clutched at her pregnant stomach.

"It'll be okay, Touya. This pain is only temporary. Let's go take care of your wounds now," her voice shook as she reached out her hand to help me back up to my feet.

Temporary. I wonder if she realized she was lying back then, or if she really believed it wouldn't happen again.


	2. Chapter 2

The day my youngest brother was born was both one of the happiest days of my life and the saddest. I'd been given a break from my father's brutal training regimen while my mother was in the hospital. Father had to keep up appearances, and the birth of his newest child was cause enough to show his better self, fake as it was. As soon as I laid eyes on my littlest brother, I knew that our father would target him in his pursuit to surpass his long-time rival, All Might.

Shoto had come into the world as a true representation of our parent's Quirks. A perfectly symmetrical divide between the deep crimson of our father's hair and blue eyes on his left side, while the soft gray eyes and white hair our mother bore resided on his right side. Our father had finally succeeded in creating his ideal tool.

The three of us other siblings kept a close eye on our little brother as he got older. Natsuo and Fuyumi knew what was going on, even though Father rarely let us interact with each other. They felt the same as I did, that we couldn't let him get to Shoto. The three of them were constantly together, and it brought me the happiness I needed to feel during those violent times. Father's physical abuse increased as his frustrations over my body's limits soared. But during the times when I was recovering, I was able to watch my little brothers and sister play in our courtyard and feel some sense of relief.

Our mother doted on Shoto, although she had changed over time. There weren't many days where I saw her smile anymore. During the times when I was being put through my training, she would leave the house with the other children. I can't blame her for that, it wasn't safe for her to defend me anymore. The more time Shoto spent away from our father, the safer I felt he'd be. And once his Quirk manifested shortly before his fifth birthday, I took him aside and did my best to explain how things were with our father.

"Did you see what I can do, Touya? Look!" Shoto proudly said as he held up his hands and conjured a small flame reminiscent of a candle in his left palm. Putting it out as he closed it, he then wiggled the fingers of his right hand around and shook dusty pieces of ice from them.

"You have such a cool power, Shoto. But... I think it'd be best for you to not let Dad know about it."

"But how will I be able to become a hero, Touya? I want to help people, like All Might does!" Oh, how I admired my youngest brother and his naive view of this world. If our father heard of Shoto's admiration for All Might, it would have ended with my poor sibling in the hospital, if not worse. Until now, I did my best to hide the fact that Shoto found more inspiration with our father's rival, and as far as I know, father never realized that fact.

But I couldn't defend my sweet little brother forever. I'd been accepted into UA High on recommendation, which would give me the best chance to learn to be a hero from some of the best teachers and pros. But it made me nervous to think that I wouldn't be able to keep an eye on Shoto like usual once classes began.

Father had also grown tired of seeing my constant failings under his teaching, despite the achievement of getting into UA. You could see it in his eyes that he was counting the days until Shoto's power made itself known. Then I would become obsolete. Seeing Shoto smile as he talked about how he wanted to be a hero everyone could depend on only hardened my resolve to prevent our father from tainting that innocent dream.

"Touya, why are you hurt all the time? Did you go and fight some villains with Dad?" Shoto asked, his eyes bright and full of wonder as he stared at the bandages wound tightly around my arms.

 _Oh, this boy..._

"Uhmm, not quite, Shoto. I have to work really hard to make my Quirk stronger, so sometimes I overdo it and end up burning myself," I told him as I mussed up his dual-colored hair. "One day you'll know how hard it is to become a hero. But for now, just be happy that you get to spend your time with an awesome guy like your big brother!"

Grabbing him around his waist, I picked him up and spun him around. His laughter helped fight my constant feeling of dread whenever Father was home. He'd been spending more time away, working some long-distance cases through his agency, which gave me time for my burns and injuries to heal. My arms had taken on a dull purple shade, scars building up on each other. I kept them wrapped in bandages so Shoto wouldn't have to see the ugliness that came from my training. But he was a smart kid, and he didn't mind asking the questions that were best left unanswered.

"But why won't Dad train me to be a hero like you, Touya? Why are you and Mom not telling Dad I can use my Quirk now?"

"Because I can't stand the thought of you going through this, Shoto!" He had pushed me past the limits of my patience. I immediately felt bad for my outburst, but after keeping this to myself for so long, it felt liberating to finally put it into words. "Father doesn't want to help you be a hero, he only wants to create someone that can beat All Might! I won't let you be hurt by him, Shoto. I will become stronger, so I can meet his expectations and prevent you from having to suffer this way!"

His eyes had grown glassy as I raised my voice to him for the first time. His lip trembled as he processed what I'd said. I may as well have been kicked in the gut seeing his look of sadness and fear.

"I don't want to see you sad anymore, Touya. Let's get Fuyu and Natsu and be a superhero group together! We can save people with our group and sometimes help Dad when he needs it. We can always laugh and smile like All Might and no one will have to be sad or hurting anymore, okay Touya?"

"It- It's not that easy, Shoto…" How could I, as a fifteen-year old that has seen the darker side of this hero society, tell my little brother that his beautiful dream could never come true. No one could be happy as long as our father was driven to fulfill his goal. "Just, please promise me that you won't let Father see your fire and ice."

"Oh, okay, if you really want me to Touya, I'll make it a super secret!" He rubbed at his eyes, tired from the heavy conversation that I wish didn't have to happen. With a smile, he ran off to no doubt find our mom and get tucked in for a nap.

I heard footsteps entering the room again, "Did you forget something, Sho—"

"You think that I didn't know about his Quirk? What kind of fool do you take me for?" Father appeared in the doorway, where he had been listening to our talk, judging by his cold tone. "You've been fighting against me at every turn, and now you'll try to prevent your brother from reaching heights that you'll never see. That boy has the potential I've been seeking for years. He's the one that will finally surpass All Might!"


	3. Chapter 3

"Not if I can help it, old man!" I should have been warier of our surroundings before talking to Shoto about his Quirk. This was all my fault, and I had to make sure that Shoto wouldn't have to pay for it. "He wants to become his own kind of hero, not get molded into your puppet. Just let him be the hero he wants to be and use me to realize your foolish dream! I won't let you hurt him the way you've done to me," I said as I gestured to my bandaged arms. "I'm drawing the line right there."

Father stepped closer, his cold turquoise eyes staring through me, "You've proven time and again that you can't handle the full potential of your own Quirk. If you think I'm going to let you stand between me and my life's work, then you're sadly mistaken. Clear out whatever belongings you had in the training room. Shoto will begin his training tomorrow."

Hearing his intentions broke something within me. The restraint I had shown for so long ceased once I knew what he intended to do. As he turned away, I knew that this was my last chance to stop him from beginning this cycle of abuse and neglect over with Shoto. His status as the number two hero didn't mean anything to me at that moment. It didn't matter how many people he had saved or all the villains he'd caught. The only thing that I saw as I stared as his back was someone that used people for his own gains.

He was the villain in our family and someone desperately needed to play the hero.

So, I set off the brilliant blue flames my mother had shown so much admiration for, and sent two walls of fire towards him, surrounding him.

"You think this is a game, Touya? Do you really think your half-assed abilities could even compare to my own? Look at you, you're already trembling from the pain!" He boosted the flames that engulfed his face and chest, immune to the heat that encircled him. I knew that normal heat wouldn't affect him, but my blue fire wasn't anything normal. As I discovered during my training, I can generate a far higher temperature than even Father could manage. I couldn't maintain it for long though, and not without severely burning myself in the process.

But even so, it was my only hope of ending his tyranny. I pushed myself as hard as I could, enclosing the walls of flame closer to him as my temperature soared higher. The bandages I'd used to hide my arms were quickly burned away, and I could feel my neck and face start to sear. Instead of focusing on the pain, I put Shoto's smile in my mind's eye. That was the reason I was fighting. The reason I was probably going to die tonight. But if I did so, I'd at least take this son of a bitch with me. I could see that his clothes were starting to catch fire, which was nearly impossible since he'd had them made to be resistant to his fire. I just needed to go past my limit just a while longer...

"If you had shown me this level of intensity before then maybe I wouldn't have considered you such a failure! But we both know you can't maintain it or raise it higher. What kind of hero do you think you can be when you can't even save yourself from your own Quirk? You'll never be a hero that others can depend on!" Father let off his own surge of flame, circulating them to create a heated wind vortex that protected him from my attack. My limbs ached as I struggled to prove him wrong. My hair had caught fire for the first time, my crimson hair now an illusionary purple hue that nearly matched the color of my scars.

"I won't let you get away with what you've done to our family. I'll be the one to make you pay for your sins!" Driving my flames closer to him, I started to disrupt his protective shield of wind and fire. My attacks were going to catch him. For a split-second, fear reflected in my father's eyes as he tried to escape from my fire trap. I was going to succeed in saving our family from this monster.

Welts and blisters raised and burst across my skin. Every nerve was sending waves of pain through me, but I saw the end coming soon. I only needed to see my father fall to know I had won.

"Touya, Mom wanted me to- W-What's going on?" Shoto reappeared in the room, bewildered by the sight. I put out my flames as soon as I saw him, they were too dangerous for him to be near. Once they were out, the exhaustion struck me along with all the wounds I had newly acquired. I couldn't even feel myself falling and wouldn't have realized I hit the floor had I not heard the impact myself.

"Just as I thought, still unable to follow through with your big talk. No matter how many times you'll say you'll get stronger you'll never be anything more than what you are now. Helpless and weak. There's no place for you here, or in the world of heroes."

Tears swelled in my eyes, the burns I'd developed on my face ached as I watched my father approach me. No doubt he was going to make me pay for backing him into a corner and threatening him the way I did. I didn't even have the energy to move my head to get a better view of him. All I could do was close my eyes and wait for him to strike.

"Stop being so mean to Touya! I don't want him to be sad anymore, so you need to stop hurting him!"

I'd never heard Shoto raise his voice like that, and as I opened my eyes, I saw him standing in front of me, facing down our father with no hesitation.

"No, get out of his way, Shoto!" I said weakly as I tried to reach out for him. Our father continued his advance, his rage consuming him.

With a quick flick of Shoto's wrist, ice crystals formed in the path he had directed, catching Father's feet within them. Suddenly unable to move, he stared down at the two of us, seething in anger as he fought to break free of my little brother's ice defense.

The last memory I had of that night was me thinking of how heroic Shoto had looked at that moment. That innocent little boy I had spent so long protecting was now keeping me safe. I lost consciousness due to my injuries, but that last image of Shoto shielding me was etched into my mind.


	4. Chapter 4

"We saved as much of your skin as we could, but a lot of the damage was irreparable. We've held the damaged skin in place with surgical staples until we can get you into the main burn ward for skin grafting. The fever and infection you currently have needs to be treated before we can begin that procedure. If we treat this swiftly, you should be able to recover with little scarring or effect on your mobility. Right now, rest is the best thing you can do for your body as it heals."

I nodded and stared out the window as the doctor left my room. It was raining again, the drops against the glass casually streaking down. I had little else to do but watch through the window and sleep. Moving was painful since most of my body had been covered in second- and third-degree burns. Getting the gauze bandages changed several times a day was excruciating as the dirtied fabric stuck to the exposed and moist flesh as they peeled it away.

And through this process of pain and recovery, I was alone. Nobody came to visit or check on me. I told myself that it was my father's doing, keeping my family away from me. All the anger and hurt I had was directed toward him. He was the source of all my misery, that was an obvious fact.

As my first week in the hospital ended, I got a phone call from home.

"Touya, it's me, Fuyumi. I can't talk for long, but I wanted to see how you were doing."

If I could have smiled without causing myself considerable discomfort, I would have upon hearing my sister's voice. "It's good to hear from you. Is everybody okay? How's Shoto?"

"He's good. I'm afraid I have some bad news though, Touya. They withdrew your enrollment to UA, claiming it's due to your injuries and the accident. I'm sorry, I really am!"

A sick emptiness sunk into my stomach. Getting into UA had been my proudest achievement and now it was being taken away from me. This had the stink of my father's influence all over it. He wouldn't have dared to tell the truth about what really happened that day when I fought against him.

"Touya, are you there? I know how much that meant to you. I wish I had longer to talk, but even this was a big risk. He's got us on lockdown until they finish investigating the incident."

"N-No problem, Fuyu. I don't want you to get in trouble because of me, so it's okay."

"I wish we could come see you. I hate that you're by yourself during all this! I'm trying to keep it together around Natsu and Sho, but I don't know how much longer I can do it, Touya!"

She had gone through so much already, I knew how much of a burden this was for her. "Shh, don't worry about me. I've made it through this far on my own, okay? I need you to be there for those two while I'm gone. You can do that for your big brother, right?"

"Mmm hmm, I will. Just come back home to us soon! We all miss you and need you here, Touya."

"Sure, you take care Fuyumi."

Hanging up the phone, I could hear the last words my father said echo in my mind.

 _"There's no place for you here, or in the world of heroes."_

Perhaps the bastard was right.

* * *

The second week went much like the first, although changing the bandages became less of a painful event. The nerves close to the dead or dying skin had dulled, so my ability to feel pain in those areas slowly diminished. I couldn't tell whether that was a good or bad thing, but even though my physical condition was under control, my mind was a wreck.

My first and last visitor was my mother, Rei. With a light knock, she entered my hospital room, her eyes sullen and focused on anything but me. It was like she brought the tension and gloom I had grown accustomed to living in that house with her. Despite that I was still happy to see her, though I wasn't sure what I should say. Luckily, she began the conversation.

"I've been told you'll be able to go in for your skin graft surgery in the next few days."

Watching her in an attempt to gauge her mood or intent, she remained stoic. She was far from the happy and confident person I remembered her to be when I was young. The wounds my father inflicted showed visibly on me, but the scars she bore from him were hidden far below the surface.

"Yeah, it'll be fine. I should be able to come home by the end of the month if all goes well."

"I'm sorry, Touya. For all of this. You're here because I failed to protect you like a mother should."

I thought I was numb to pain now, but I was wrong. Hearing her say those words stung me so hard I audibly gasped.

"What? No, no. You did what you could!" I reached out to the hand that she had resting in her lap, but as she looked at my bandaged arm, she shied away from me.

"I'm the reason you couldn't develop your Quirk properly. Inheriting my inability to withstand heat was a cruel fate for you, Touya. Every day I'm reminded of the fact that you are here and hurting because of me. There's nothing I could do to make up for the suffering you've endured in your life."

"Y-You don't owe me anything, Mom!" She was trembling now, a mere shadow of the strong woman I remember holding me as she defied my father only five years ago. "If it wasn't for your love and encouragement, I would never have made it through the worst of it! Please don't cry; not for me. You were the light that kept me from falling too far into the darkness."

She wiped away her tears, a smile that bore nothing but sadness behind it crossed her face. "I wish I could believe that, Touya. I really do. But I don't. I've seen that darkness growing inside you. He's embedded it into you, far beneath all the scars. I saw you as you fought your father that night. Your eyes were just as cold and heartless as hi—"

"I-I'm not feeling so well, Mom. Maybe you should come back another time." The harsh tone I used as I asked her to leave wasn't what I had intended. But to have my own mother compare me to the one responsible for all our suffering was more than my mind could take.

I wasn't strong enough to take this anymore. And if I couldn't even handle this, how could I protect my family?

"If you could escape from this life and this pain, would you, Touya?" she asked me as she stood up and walked over to the door.

I answered her with a question of my own. "Would you be able to protect Shoto if I were gone?"

Looking at me with glassy eyes and a tear-streaked face, she replied, "I won't make the same mistakes again."

She was even more broken than I was.


	5. Chapter 5

Sitting alone in my hospital room, I had nothing but time. Time to dwell on the way my life had sunk so low. All those years that I spent in pain trying to live up to my father's cruel expectations. Thinking that it was going to make me the hero I wanted to be, but then realizing that it was only for me to become the instrument in which Father achieved his own goals. Even after realizing that, I couldn't stop it. I had to protect my siblings.

But what was the point in it all if the result was still the same?

He was going to start Shoto down the same path of pain and darkness that had left me broken and scarred. My sister and other brother would still be ignored and segregated from him the way they were forced to stay away from me. Whether I was there or not, nothing would be any different. Recalling Shoto standing against our father before I passed out, he had shown no fear. Perhaps he could succeed where I had failed. Maybe he did have the perfect balance of fire and ice that could surpass our father. He had seen the truth of the violent ways that Enji considered training; perhaps he could stop that cycle without me.

For the first time, I felt ashamed to face my littlest brother. My inability to defeat Enji made it clear that I wasn't fit to protect Shoto anymore. But could I put faith in our mother's promise to keep him safe? She looked to be on the verge of a mental collapse herself. But she had confessed that it was my situation and presence that were causing her so much distress. And her final question to me… I knew what she was getting at, even if she couldn't say the words out loud.

 _Don't return home._

Perhaps their lives would be better if I never went back. What would I even be able to accomplish, anyway? I lost my chance to train with the pros at UA High; my father had no-doubt ruined my credibility as someone that could control their Quirk. I didn't see myself able to fit into that hero's role anymore. And honestly, after seeing his actions myself, I'd rather give up on that dream if it meant becoming a false hero like Endeavor.

But I haven't forgotten my vow. I will force my old man to face the wrongs he has done. If I can't achieve that as a hero, then perhaps I'd find a better way to accomplish my own goals on the side of the coin. I bet he'd never expect that.

Three weeks was long enough. I'd had enough of the same four walls day after day. The surgeons had yet to set a date for my treatments, stating that they wanted to give my body more time to heal internally first. I was done waiting. If these weeks of solitude had helped me realize anything, it was that I was truly alone. And I felt better after figuring that out. My family could move on without me and not be affected in the least.

It was time for me to live for myself, and the thought of that sent chills through me.

Sneaking out of the hospital wasn't difficult. Getting a view of the layout from a visitor's map, I located one of the employee areas and found several sets of lockers for the doctors and nurses to keep their street clothes after changing into their scrubs. After ditching my patient gown for some real clothes, I picked up a white surgical mask to conceal the stapled and scarred features of my face. A baseball cap finished up my new image. As I walked to the door and touched the handle, I realized that even if I left the hospital, I was essentially stepping out into the world without any means of support.

Returning to the rows of lockers, I proceeded to take what valuables and cash I could find. This was the first of my many crimes. And as most villains will probably tell you if they're given a chance to share their origin story, their beginning offenses were almost always brought on by necessity for survival. So, taking what I needed to survive made me feel less guilty about what I had done. I also didn't clear out any one purse or wallet, either. In taking a little from each, I still made off with a decent amount of money while assuring they wouldn't go home broke. Maybe I'm not being as selfish as I should be, but I do have some decency left.

I bought myself a train ticket that took me to the furthest stop on the line. As far from his influence as I could get. My first few days on the street were spent observing the world around me. I had to be able to blend in here and notice any kind of disruption that could mean trouble. My nights were spent in 24-hour karaoke bars, where it was cheaper to pay the private room fee than to rent an actual room elsewhere in town.

The bandages that I'd still been wearing after I left the hospital were unraveling, slowly exposing the deep purple skin beneath. The skin had dried out, leaving the surface wrinkled and cracked in some places. I had started to wind more gauze around it, then stopped. Why should I hide this away? There was no one to conceal them from anymore.

Reversing my progress with the white fabric, I tossed the roll to the side and put my clothes on. Seeing myself in the mirror with my burn marks revealed was different. These scars would be my way of remembering where I came from as well as a physical reminder that the 'hero' Endeavor would eventually be punished for causing the wounds I could see, as well as the mental ones that hid within my family.

I found some work running around town for some small-time bad guys. They kept their mouths shut, didn't ask questions, and the pay was decent. As I finished up their latest job and stopped in the restroom to relieve myself, I hadn't noticed until the bright fluorescent bathroom lights hit the mirror just right.

A younger Endeavor stared back at me. I hated myself for how similar we looked and had to do something about it. On the way back to my cheap apartment, I picked up a couple bottles of hair dye and some cutting shears. The long crimson-red locks that I'd inherited from my old man were cut down and dyed a midnight black shade.

Yeah, now I looked and felt like a new person. Someone who could surpass 'Touya' and turn him to ash.

"Hmm, ash…" Finding the inspiration for my new identity was as simple as naming what resulted from the use of my Quirk. Burning until nothing but dust and silt remained.

Cremation.

 _Dabi._


	6. Chapter 6

I'm dead now. Well, at least that's the rumor spreading around town. It must have made huge headlines back home if the locals are idly gossiping about it now, six months later. News doesn't travel to this corner of Japan fast, which is nice.

"Did you hear? Endeavor's oldest son was injured during a training exercise and didn't survive," said some random stranger to their companion as they chatted nearby.

"Oh, no! I heard that he was accepted to UA on recommendation too. How tragic."

 _Heh, you have no idea._

Today's job involved shaking down one of the local punks that owed my boss money. Simple gig, or at least it should have been.

"I don't owe Giran shit! You tell him that I took care of my debt when he called in that favor about the shipment at the pier," said the middle-aged roughneck that worked as an unloader at the shipyard.

Snapping my fingers, I set off a blast of flame that cautioned him to stay put. "I didn't come here to pass messages. I came here to collect Giran's money."

"Then he should have sent a man to get it, instead of a kid," said the guy as he swung his fist at me. As I dodged him, he pulled a gun from the small of his back. Aiming at my chest, he moved his finger to the trigger. Before he could pull it back, I'd engulfed him in blue hellfire. He dropped the gun and fell to the ground.

Extinguishing the flames before his clothes and wallet caught fire, I confirmed he was dead before rummaging through his pockets. Mostly old receipts and a few crumpled up dollars. His wallet felt thick as I pulled it out and opened it.

"Heh, making so much trouble over such a small debt. Your fat wallet could have kept you breathing if you hadn't acted like an—"

 _Family pictures._ He'd had a wife and little girl. His wallet was loaded with them, stuffed into an accordion-style picture insert. As they extended out, each picture showed the age progression, from newborn to toddler, and eventually preteen. In each photo, they were all smiling. They were all _happy._

And I'd just taken away that happiness by killing this guy without a moment's hesitation or consideration for who would be affected by his death. Feeling something running across my face, I swiped blindly at it. Tears. I hadn't been able to cry for my own family breaking apart, why am I doing it for some stranger?

I calmed down, taking the wallet and its contents back with me to Giran.

"Didja have to kill the guy? He may have been flaky with his payments, but he was a convenient pawn to use for trafficking. Well, it doesn't matter, pawns can be replaced."

I'd held onto the wallet, folding the pictures in and out, looking at the two people that wouldn't be seeing their husband and father return to them.

"He was your first kill, right? Listen to me, kid. Do yourself a favor," Giran said as he took the wallet out of my hand and tossed it aside, "and don't dwell on the details. You'll never make it in our world otherwise."

I despised what he said but knew that he was right. So, as I carried on working for Giran and other small-time villains over the years, I grew that thicker skin that was needed to survive in this dark part of the world. Over the next ten years, people begged and pleaded for their lives at my feet, and I'd barely give them the acknowledgment I'd give an ant on the ground.

I lived my life according to my own rules now, but even so, I felt that there was something missing. Something that I was still meant to do. It wasn't until I'd seen that first viral video from someone calling himself the Hero Killer that I realized just what that calling was.

Fake heroes? Oh yes, I'm quite familiar with them.

How unfortunate that this Hero Killer was arrested before I could have the chance to meet him. But even though he isn't free, his ideology is still strong and spreading throughout the country. There are so many people who call themselves 'heroes' but only do so for the fame and fortune it accrues. My father has never once shown himself to abide by a real hero's code. He was neither selfless or wishing for no acclaim. His one goal was to surpass his rival. There was no honor in that, so he was a prime candidate for Stain's purge.

Although Stain was now in police custody, it drew my curiosity to follow him to the group that he'd been affiliated with before his capture. The League of Villains. So, when my old boss Giran was recruiting for them, I decided to see what they had to offer.

Giran took me and some little psycho of a schoolgirl to meet with the leader of the League of Villains. I have to say that I wasn't impressed. This Shigaraki guy may have an impressive Quirk but had nothing going for him that would make me consider him a leader. Still, it was worth my time to find out what they were planning. Even if their ideals were different from my own, I could use this as an opportunity to start working towards my own goal. I'd eventually need to step out of the shadows and into the spotlight to make it work. What better stage than the one being set by the League?

After our disastrous first meeting, which nearly ended with us killing each other, Shigaraki eventually accepted me into the League. My first mission was to lead an elite group to ambush UA's training camp and abduct one of their more promising students. A fiery little brat by the name of Bakugo Katsuki. Shigaraki had wasted time watching the Sports Festival and felt the kid had more promise as a villain and wanted him brought into our organization.

I addressed the newly formed Vanguard Action Squad before we started. "Toga, you know your task during this mission, make sure you get those blood samples. Muscular, take Moonfish and Compress and search for our target. The rest of us will split up and distract the teachers. Mustard, I want you to start pumping in that gas of yours as soon as I ignite the forest and corral the students within my fire barrier. If no one has anything to ask or add, let's get this over with."

It was helpful to have criminals who were good at what they did. That meant I didn't have to keep an eye on them and could stick to my own task. Once we got the confirmation from Compress that Bakugo was in our custody, it was time to leave. I signaled for those remaining in the Vanguard Action Squad to meet at our escape point.

Unfortunately, Compress had some extra baggage with him as he dropped in on us with three students in tow. And one of them happened to be my little brother.


	7. Chapter 7

"Shoto…" I whispered as I watched him fight against the members of my squad. For a moment I'd forgotten everything that was going on around me and just focused on how much he had grown. As I got a better look at him, I noticed the scarring around his left eye. I should have known better than to think our mother could keep Shoto safe. But it looks like he's got a good handle on his ice abilities with the ice walls he's creating. He's playing the role of hero well.

It made me wonder if he was doing this for himself or for our old man.

"Dabi, it's time to go!" shouted Compress as he revealed that we had Bakugo in our possession. Kurogiri had opened our warp gates; all we had to do was step through. But a sudden shot of light hit Compress in the face, making him drop the orbs containing our captives. With the students rushing forward, it was a race to see who would take them back. The kid with the octopus arms grabbed one of the marbles, and Shoto was bearing down on the second one fast.

He was so desperate to win, it made me think of our father and it angered me in a way I hadn't felt in years. I pushed myself harder and reached our shared goal first, snatching the compressed sphere from his grasp. The look of defeat and exhaustion in his eyes made my chest hurt for a moment. I still couldn't get over how much he reminded me of our father, and for that I smirked and taunted him.

"Aww, too bad, little Shoto Todoroki."

His frustration turned to puzzlement, as I could visibly see his mind working to figure out just how I could know his true name. To be honest, I wanted to know what he'd been doing these last ten years. How did our father manage to burn his face like that? Why was he still training to be a hero despite the abuse he must have suffered? So many questions, but the League's mission came first. Claiming Bakugo as our prize, we retreated through Kurogiri's gate.

If Shoto really intends to be a hero, then our paths were bound to meet again.

"Why did you hesitate when those kids showed up, Dabi? They almost foiled our plans, you know," said Compress as we settled down in the bar we used as our hideout.

"The better question would be how you managed to give them the chance to follow you back to our meeting spot? Don't try to single me out when you're the one that failed to get away clean."

Compress was suspicious; he was trained in sleight of hand and reading people. Deflecting the blame onto him was an obvious sign that I had something to hide, but I wasn't going to tell them about Shoto. They knew nothing about my real identity, and it was going to stay that way. Touya was gone; there's no need to bring him back from the dead over this chance meeting.

Unsurprisingly, Shigaraki had made a bad judgment call when he thought Bakugo would be willing to join our League. The heroes showed up not long after and restrained all of us. Before I could set off my flames, some short old guy came flying through the doorway and kicked my head in. The next thing I remember was waking up a good distance away with some of the other League members. Shigaraki was screaming for his master, although he was nowhere to be found.

Later on, we had heard the news of the fight between his master, All For One, and All Might. It wasn't until after he had lost his mentor that Shigaraki started to take his role as leader seriously. I suppose motivation comes in many different forms. At least there was more strategy and less spontaneity in his plans and actions now. The immature man-child he'd portrayed during our first meeting had done some growing up.

After assisting in a few other missions for Shigaraki, specifically ending our 'partnership' with Overhaul and his Yakuza group, I decided to give myself some space from the League. Compress was getting too wary and I feared that if he did enough digging, he'd discover the truth about my past and who I really was. After all this time, I didn't want to let some slip up ruin my chances for revenge against my father.

But it was impossible for me to keep my thoughts from wandering to Shoto. And so, I spent the time I had to myself following up on him. I had never bothered to watch the UA Sports Festival since I left home, but I pulled up this year's event and watched Shoto's performances and fights. There was rage in his eyes at the beginning, and I wondered if that was the same look that I had during my fight with our father. The expression that my mother had described as cold and heartless. But later, after his win against that green-haired brat Midoriya, there was something else there instead. Doubt and hesitation had taken the place of his earlier confidence and fury.

I also noticed that he'd never used his fire side until that fight, almost defiant in his unwillingness to do so. Perhaps this was his way of denouncing our father? But then why suddenly set off that barrage of flame if he had refused to use it before? What did that opponent of his say to motivate him?

I was trying to learn more about my little brother's life over these last ten years, but I was only creating more questions that begged to be answered. The smart thing would be to not dwell on the details and move on. That's what helped me to survive and recreate myself as who I am now.

But deep down, I couldn't bring myself to ignore him. I told myself that if he had really been opposing our father with his actions at the Festival, then perhaps that could be the common ground I could use to gauge where his loyalties resided. So, using one of Shigaraki's newest creations, the sentient Nomu we had named High-End, I put into motion a plan that I'd had been working on for quite some time.

I was going to be face-to-face with my father Endeavor for the first time in ten years.


	8. Chapter 8

"I'm expecting good results from you, High-End. Now go take down that so-called number one hero!" Due to All Might's sudden retirement after his fight with All For One, my father inherited the top spot among the hero rankings. Looks like I'll give him a chance to see if he's worthy of the title as he faces off with this monster currently terrorizing the city.

This newest creation of Nomu was gifted with several powerful Quirks, but what really made it dangerous was its increased intelligence and sentience. It was smart enough to be strategic with its attacks, and as it engaged Endeavor and the number two hero Hawks in the middle of the city, their battle was intense. Seeing my father struggle was a welcome sight. As someone who had been raised to view him as a pinnacle of strength and power, it was liberating to see him being dominated.

But if I let the fight continue any longer, High-End would end up killing him, and that didn't fit with my plans for the old man. So, after he had hit Endeavor with a particularly brutal attack that left his face a bloody mess, I started to make my move to intercept the Nomu. Unfortunately, that flying pest of a hero Hawks managed to get back into the fight, giving Endeavor the boost he needed to stand against High-End once more. With their combined efforts, they destroyed the Nomu with a devastating finishing move.

"PLUS ULTRA!" screamed Endeavor as he held up one arm in victory, struggling to stay on his feet.

"Why would he yell out the motto of his greatest rival?" I said to myself as I walked towards the two heroes. Hawks supported Endeavor and was likely preparing to take him for medical treatment. Even though I had planned on facing my father one-on-one, who knows when I'd get another chance to confront him.

"Nice to meet you, Endeavor."

The two heroes turned to face me, both puzzled by my sudden appearance. The wounds my father had looked more serious now that I was standing close to him. Blood steadily poured from the large gash running vertically along the left side of his face, his eye no longer visible among the flowing mask of deep red liquid. His one good eye blinked rapidly, trying to focus and identify who I was. I figured I should make it a little easier on the old man, and set off my blue flames, creating a scorching hot perimeter that surrounded us.

"That blue… It can't be…" He had dropped to his knees, although I wasn't sure if it was due to his injuries or the shock of realizing who he was facing.

"Dabi, you're with the League of Villains, right? Is that your doing?" Hawks said as he gestured to the smoking mass of flesh that was High-End.

"It was a performance test, I have to say that it did a far better job than I had anticipated. Neither of you are in very good condition after fighting so hard against it. But now that my main assignment has ended, there is something I need to discuss with Endeavor." I stepped closer to the heroes, pulling my flames into a closer ring around us. The time that I've spent among the villains gave me a chance to improve my Quirk's abilities without the pressure of an overbearing abuser at my back. My stamina and endurance had significantly improved in the last ten years. I hoped that my father was conscious enough to pick up on that.

"Like I'll give you a chance to get anywhere near him," yelled Hawks. As he put himself between my father and I, his body swayed unsteadily, revealing his weakened condition. He had used up all the feathers that made up his Quirk during the fighting, so he was just as defenseless as the old man.

Laughing at his struggling bravado, I slowly approached. "If this was a normal situation, I wouldn't dream of challenging the two highest ranked heroes! But this is quite the exceptional circumstance we find ourselves in, considering you're both so badly wounded. Perhaps I will give into temptation and fight!" I only intended to be rid of the winged nuisance, since what I wanted to tell Endeavor needed to stay between us.

A sudden impact shook the ground between us, and as the dust settled, we saw the cause for the disturbance. The fifth ranked heroine, the Rabbit Hero Mirko had hopped into the fray, creating a deep crater with those strong and powerful legs of hers.

"Saw you guys on the big screen and thought you could use a hand!" Mirko crouched low and beckoned for me to advance, fresh and ready to take me on. I'd lost the chance to relay my message to my old man, so I called out to my backup who was set in place to warp me away when the time was right.

My father was struggling to stay upright, but even so, his one remaining eye never looked away from me. I had his full and undivided attention, so I'd better make use of it.

"I was hoping to have a little chat, but we'll meet again real soon, Mr. Number One Hero! Do us both a favor and try not to die before that happens, Enji Todoroki!"

Laughing at the enraged look on his face, I disappeared within the portal before that little bunny hero could attack. Even though I was supposed to bring High-End's remains back with me, I'm sure it'll be forgiven considering the situation.

Remembering my reunion with the old man as I settled down for the evening, I couldn't help but smile. He'd looked as though he had seen a ghost. Which I suppose had some truth to it, considering he'd told the world that I was dead. I guess he had never even considered that I'd be enough of a threat to return years later for revenge. That was how little he thought of me. But I imagine he's figured out that I did survive and am a far more formidable adversary than he expected.

Shigaraki interrupted my quiet evening, wanting to talk to me about High-End's test, so I went to our new hideout and gave him the information he asked for. Compress was there to listen as I shared my thoughts on this Nomu's performance.

"Seems you were rather talkative to Endeavor before you made your escape. You could have retrieved High-End's remains if you hadn't been chatting away with those heroes." Compress looked smug as he swirled the drink within his rocks glass and walked away. That guy really pisses me off.

"If that's everything, I'm gonna take off. I have my own thing going on, so don't call unless it's something that's actually important." I threw on my long jacket and walked out, not even giving Shigaraki a chance to respond. He may have improved as a leader, but he was still an arrogant prick.

Walking back to my place, I suddenly felt another presence tailing me. Not letting on that I noticed, I kept going. Rather than going home, I made my way into the nearby park. I knew the layout well, so I led my mystery stalker further in until we reached a secluded area far from any other people.

I stopped suddenly and after lifting my head towards the sky, I finally acknowledged them. "Did you think you were actually going to take me by surprise? What kind of an amateur are y—"

Even in the darkness, I could easily make out the features of my youngest brother, Shoto, standing there in a UA gym hoodie. His hands in the pockets, he stared at me intently but not with anger or malice.

"It's been a while, Touya."


	9. Chapter 9

I was expecting Compress or one of the other League members, sent to keep an eye on me by Shigaraki. This… Seeing Shoto standing in front of me, acknowledging me as his brother… I hadn't felt this flustered since I first saw him during our mission to kidnap Katsuki. All he did was watch me, waiting patiently for a reply. The silence should have been uncomfortable, but it wasn't. After the initial shock wore off, I managed to form my response.

"Todoroki Touya is dead, kid. He died a long time ago."

"That's what I thought, too. It's what I was made to believe by our old man. What we were all forced to accept. But I could tell something wasn't right. Fuyumi had said she had talked to you not long before you were… gone. You had sounded just fine over the phone according to her. That was one of the last times I got to talk to her before he started separating us for his training."

The young man that stood before me frowned as he was undoubtedly remembering the harshest moments working with our father.

"Sad story, but I'm not Touya."

Shoto balled up his fists, I could see them trembling as he attempted to keep his temper under control. I'm not surprised that he figured out my identity but confirming it's true is something I can't do. Something I shouldn't do. I can't miraculously go back to being that person after all this time. Not even for Shoto.

"I know, and I'm the one at fault for that! Once I was pushed into that training regimen, I understood why you had warned me against showing him my abilities. I remembered that I was the reason you fought him that night. You were trying to save me from being abused and manipulated by him. I'm the reason you felt it necessary to leave us and your name behind, right?! You must hate me for being so foolish and naïve back then, it only made things harder on you."

"That's not true!" I exclaimed without thinking. My cover was blown, and I knew it. Rubbing my thumbs against my temples, I walked over to the closest park bench and took a seat. Shoto followed but only stood in front of me. "How long have you known?"

"Since the League attacked the student training camp. There's a lot of my past that I had forgotten until recently. My classmates have helped me a lot more than our old man's training ever could. They've helped me to remember that I can be the hero that I want to be, not what he chooses for me. But when I saw you use your blue flames, more of those memories started flooding back. It was… overwhelming." He was visibly shaking; he hadn't even finished pouring out all that he'd wanted to say. A decade's worth of emotional baggage weighed him down, and it would take some time to shed that load.

I'd never considered that my leaving would affect Shoto so much. He was a strong kid, and even though I never wanted him to walk the same path I did, I had resigned myself to the fact that he had a higher chance of succeeding where I had failed. But for him to feel guilty and blame himself for me running away; that was never my intention. I've spent ten years living in the darkness, thriving in it, avoiding all the emotions that had only caused me pain in the past. Compassion, empathy, they were all of no use to me.

But seeing this boy shake in front of me made those feelings stir within me once more. No one else could have elicited this kind of response from me. Could there even be a slim chance of redemption for me at this point?

"How did you find me? If you felt so bad about what happened in the past, why bother looking? Especially now that you know your big brother is a villain. The kind of scum you're training to defeat."

With a deep, cleansing sigh, my brother took a seat next to me. Staring at the ground before us, he was quiet for some time. When he finally spoke, his voice made my heart jump from the sudden break in the silence.

"Ever since the day I figured it out, I've been working hard to build my strength, even if it meant learning from him. I used Endeavor's new status as the number one hero to get better information on the villain's known locations. The old man was never good with computers, so getting into his files was effortless. Once the students were brought into the dorms, it made sneaking out a little difficult, but not impossible. I was in a more central location for checking on leads, if nothing else. So, when I saw the live broadcast of Endeavor's fight with that Nomu earlier today and saw you appear, I knew I'd only have once chance to locate you. Once the fight was over and it was confirmed that the old man was okay, I excused myself to my room, telling everyone I needed some rest. From there, I snuck out of the dorm and used the information I'd gathered, as well as the location of that fight, to find you."

The kid really put some effort into this, "At least it wasn't because I had gotten sloppy with covering my tracks," I said dryly, the humor was lost on Shoto though.

"As far as why I'd look for you, I remembered something I had promised myself when I realized everything you had sacrificed for me. If I was ever given the chance to find you one day, I wanted to be sure that I could be the one to protect and save you from whatever situation you were in. This is the reason I want to be a hero, Touya. To make sure that no one else ever has to suffer alone the way you must have suffered. This is my chance to save you, Touya."

I honestly had no way to respond to that. He had used me as his inspiration for being a hero. From my own experience, heroes were selfish and only sought fame and status. Stain had brought that fact to light, and I firmly believed that the hero society this world operated under was faulty. My main motivation lately had been to destroy the world of fake heroes. But here's my little brother, who wants nothing more than to prevent other people from being hurt the way our family had. His only desire was to bring Touya back home.

"So, we finally learn your real name, Dabi. Or should we stick with Touya now?"

Jumping up from the park bench, we spun around to see Mr. Compress leaning against one of the trees. He looked between Shoto and I, his head cocked in a quizzical manner.

"You know, I _do_ see the resemblance now… Who would have thought we'd have the son of the number one hero working amongst us villains! It almost seems too good to just be a coincidence, right? I knew you were hiding something big, Dabi, but who knew you were playing both sides! But unfortunately for you, we have no need for traitors within our League, so it's time to bid you adieu."


	10. Chapter 10

Darkness. Silence. The total lack of any sensory information from anywhere left me feeling uneasy. I must be within Compress' Quirk. Damn, my reflexes have gone lax... But was Shoto able to avoid his attack? Damnit, I hate not knowing what's going on outside this small sphere of existence! At least when he had to compress me during the fight between All Might and All For One, I was unconscious and didn't have to experience this disorientation...

Unaware of how much time had passed, suddenly I was outside in the normal world again. But Shoto and I still weren't alone. The green-haired kid that Shigaraki kept obsessing over, Midoriya, was here now. But why? He looked like he'd been in a fight, scratches and bruises visible on his exposed skin. Wait... Wasn't this the kid that Shoto faced during the Sports Festival? He stared at me with an intense gaze, breathing heavily as he stood over Compress' unconscious body. Had he been the one to knock Compress out?

"Oh good, you both reverted back to normal. I was worried that he'd still be able to maintain his Quirk while he was unconscious," said Midoriya as he offered a hand to help Shoto back to his feet.

I set my right hand ablaze and advanced towards the green-haired brat. "And just what do you think you're doing here?"

"Wait Touya, he can be trusted, I swear!" said Shoto as he put up an arm in defense of the kid standing before me. "This is Midoriya. Although I'm not sure why he's here now, he has proven to be someone I can trust."

"I've been noticing you getting more distant, Todoroki. I wasn't sure of the reason, but it still concerned me. I accidentally caught you sneaking out one night a few weeks back. I didn't tell anyone because I wanted to confront you about it myself. I never found the right moment to do that, and then the fight with your father and that Nomu happened. I had this feeling that you weren't just going to rest in your room tonight, and I was right. So, I ended up following you here. When Mr. Compress showed up, I knew that I couldn't remain an observer any longer."

This wasn't good. I doubt Compress was the only one that found my recent behavior suspicious. Once it gets back to Shigaraki that Compress knows my secret, I'll have the entire League of Villains on my back. I crouched down over Compress' body and hovered my hand above him, igniting my palm. A sheet of ice cut my flame down before it could catch him on fire.

"What do you think you're doing, Touya?"

"This is the only way to keep my secret from being exposed. If he shares what he learned with the League, they'll be no end to them pursuing me. And you by association."

"I can't let you do that, Touya, there has to be another way!" Shoto answered back desperately.

"Don't you get it? This isn't going to be some storybook happy ending! The information that guy has now could kill us all. If we don't kill him, then—" Midoriya cut me off, his voice shaky but confident.

"Heroes have to fight off villains every day, for all kinds of reasons. If they do find out your identity, we'll be prepared for the backlash that creates. I can't condone murder, even if it's to keep others safe. Todoroki, we also have another problem we need to discuss."

"I know, but... If you could just give us some time, I have more that I need to say to him."

Midoriya nodded, "I trust you to do the right thing, Todoroki. I'll handle things here, just make sure you don't end up regretting anything, okay?"

I didn't like the thought of putting my life in that kid's hands. Trust wasn't something that villains held in high esteem, as evidenced by Compress' lack of it when dealing with me. We learned to trust our own instincts and actions. Right now I wasn't doing well listening to either of those. My gut told me to just raze the entire park to ashes, but my head... It just wanted to believe that death and destruction didn't have to be the absolute solution to every problem.

"You're going to regret handling it this way, little hero. Killing him would have been far easier than what you're about to let happen."

Midoriya answered, "We never expected any of this to be easy. But to be able to save someone, even in a hopeless situation, that's what makes a hero. You should get going, the police will be here soon," he looked to Todoroki, "I'll try to give you as much time as I can, but I can't keep the truth from them."

"Thanks, Midoriya." Shoto gestured for me to come with him. This was my last chance. The fork in the road that would dictate how the rest of my life would play out. I could avoid so much pain by walking away from this and destroying the last remnants of my past. Or I could follow the only remaining light from those dark times and still risk losing it all.

Against my better judgment, I decided to go along with my little brother. If things were going to get dangerous either way, I'd rather be in a position to destroy anyone that would threaten him.

There could be no light without the existence of darkness, after all.

Retreating to a nearby warehouse, we snuck through the gate and, after ensuring we weren't followed, sat down to relax for a moment.

"He's going to tell them about me, isn't he?" I didn't have to see Shoto's expression to know he was upset.

"Not everything. He won't tell them your identity, I'm sure of that."

"But his 'sense of justice' can't allow him to forgive my past sins, right? All that I did at the training camp, and beyond that." Shoto could only nod in response.

"So I guess if this is the last time we get to talk, we should get everything off our chests. To respond to your earlier comments; no, I never blamed you or hated you for anything that happened back then. My leaving wasn't on you. I decided that for myself. It was the first selfish thing I'd ever done, and I don't regret it. I don't want to go back to that life, Shoto."

"I'm not asking you to go back, I just don't want you to disappear again. Things got... So hard once you were gone, Touya. Mom was always so sad, she cried all the time. And he... Well, he didn't change at all."

"I can tell," I gestured towards his face and the scar around his left eye.

"Oh, this wasn't him. It was his fault though, he pushed her over the edge." Shoto traced the edges of his burned skin as he spoke.

"What does that mean? Who did that to you?" I asked, "If it wasn't him then who else—"

"Mom did it," Shoto replied. "He was constantly arguing and fighting with her over what he was doing to me. She had been heating some water on the stove for tea one morning. When I walked into the kitchen she was on the phone. She said that she wanted to leave and that my left side was unbearable to look at. When she realized I was there, she lost it and threw the boiling hot water at my face."

Fuck... I should have known she couldn't keep that promise.


	11. Chapter 11

Shoto spent some time explaining the situation with our mother. He had no ill feelings toward her, since he was aware that our old man had pushed her to the point of breaking. I wasn't sure if I could say the same about her, even knowing that she hadn't been in a healthy mental state, for her to scar Shoto like this…

"I never got the chance to thank you for everything you did for us back then, Touya. I know I was young, but even so, I took it for granted that you'd always be there for us. You had such a burden, and I think you still do."

"You think you know me so well after a decade has gone by... I've been doing just fine living among the scum of the city. No one to answer to except my own wants and desires. My life is my own, can you say the same for yours, Shoto?" I enjoyed his angered reaction, having seen his deadpan facial expression among the footage of the Festival and even as we were talking. I remember when his face was full of emotion, his eyes bright and hopeful. I guess ten years wasn't going to keep him the same as he was either.

"You think I'm doing this to appease our old man's goal of surpassing All Might? I told you earlier why I decided to focus so hard on becoming a hero. I endured his torturous lessons to make that dream a reality. And now I'm so close to making it happen. I found you again, after all this time."

"You're making an awful lot of assumptions, little brother. Did you ever consider the fact that I may not want to be saved? Or that there was nothing to save me from?"

Shoto contemplated my question for a few moments, before answering sternly, "If you didn't want to change your situation, you would have killed Compress despite us being against it. Then you would have likely gotten rid of Midoriya and I as witnesses. If you truly were consumed by the darkness, we wouldn't be here right now. So, to me, that's all the proof I need to know that you want my help."

There wasn't much I could say to appeal his reasoning. I did have the urge to destroy everything back in the park earlier, but I followed Shoto instead. I'd given into the hope that this could end in something other than tragedy. But he was being too naïve. It's one thing to talk about fighting against the villains. To face their full strength was something else entirely. If anyone knew that best, it'd be me. They weren't weighed down by morals or ethics like heroes.

"I don't want your help, Shoto. I may have followed you here, but that doesn't mean I'm ready to play hero like a good boy. You don't know what will be coming once the League learns what happened tonight. They don't take traitors or spies lightly. Not that I'm either, but with the situation looking as it does, they won't care."

"And we told you that we'll be prepared when that happens! Stop making excuses when you know that I'm right!" Shoto stood up. "Coming back with me, to our side, it won't be easy for you, I'm sure. And then there's the matter of… of—"

"Turning me in? That's what Midoriya was hinting at earlier, about you doing the right thing? I swear, you're something else, kid. You whine about wanting me to come back, but you know that doing it your way means losing my freedom. What idiot would willingly do that, huh? I'm done with this; have fun saving the world." I started walking towards the exit. I refused to subject myself to being confined to one room for any reason. Not again, not like the hospital.

"Touya, wait! What if there was a way to avoid punishment? Or significantly reduce it? I've given it a lot of thought, I believe that we can trace all of this back to one person, and it isn't you."

I turned around to face Shoto again. Could he really be suggesting what I think?

"Endeavor is the source of all this misery and pain. What if we revealed his past abuse for the world to see? If it's known what you've had to live through, they'd be more lenient towards you. But it all depends on if you want everyone to know. I won't force you, but I think it's worth considering."

"How did you know? It must be a coincidence, or maybe it's just a natural reaction for those of us who had been subjected to his abusive treatment. All these years, I've wanted to take my revenge out on him."

Shoto looked panicked, "Wait, I'm not saying we resort to killing him, Touya!"

"I never said that, did I? I told myself that I'd make him pay. That I'd get my revenge someday. And aside from the night that we fought, when death was our intention, I never once since then said that I'd kill him. And you're smart enough to know why, right Shoto?"

His eyes shifted as his mind processed these details. He knew, he had to.

"You were planning on exposing him yourself, weren't you?"

I widened my grin as I stepped closer and patted Shoto on the top of his soft, messy hair. "Bingo! Imagine it, the old man finally reaches his goal as the number one hero. He has the status and power he's longed for since his own childhood. And just as he has his first taste of victory, thanks to that emotionally charged fight with High-End, he's unexpectedly struck down by a dark seed from his past! Suddenly, the oldest son that had been believed to be dead reappears! And not only does he reveal that he's a notorious villain, but he also tells the world just how he got his burns and scars. In full detail. Can you imagine the public backlash against him?! Who would support a hero that was capable of such cruelty to his own family? He'd lose everything he'd worked so hard to achieve, and all I'd have to do is tell the truth. Kind of ironic for a villain, right?"

Shoto was speechless. This went far beyond the plan he'd concocted, and I could see him weighing the pros and cons in his head.

"You're right, that would hurt him far worse than any physical attack could. But doing it that way won't guarantee you would have any way of avoiding a maximum sentence once you're prosecuted for your own crimes. I can't ignore the past wrongs you've done, but I… I don't want to lose you all over again, Touya. I don't think I could go through that again."

"Here's the thing, Shoto. If you really want to go through with exposing him, you're going to have to get your hands dirty. It means keeping me out of jail long enough to get this plan in motion. No one is going to listen to some villain swearing that this long sob story is the truth from behind prison bars. So that means keeping that freckled brat quiet about me. Are you prepared to deceive the people closest to you to fulfill our vengeance? There's no going back once you've started down this path, Shoto. Personally, I'd rather walk it alone, but since you've suffered at his hand as well, you should at least have the option."

I hoped that he'd say no. I didn't want him to stray from the side of light. I wanted him to stay the innocent, pure child that I swore to protect with my life so many years ago. He opened his eyes and looked up at me, resolve and determination renewing his previously exhausted appearance.

"I'm in. What do we do first, Touya?"


	12. Chapter 12

And so, we started working on our plan to expose our father's abusive past. Shoto returned to the dorms and on his next available break, went back home to gather any information he could find through Endeavor's computer files and emails. While he was occupied with the safer part of the job, I took care of some loose ends of my own. Slipping down the narrow alley, I paused at the doorway before throwing open the door and stepping inside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" demanded Giran as he quickly stood up and approached me. The lackeys he had hanging around his office all stared as their boss got up in my face, waiting to see if they'd be needed. Giran grabbed my arm and wrenched it behind me, guiding me towards the next room. "You guys stay here, I got something to say to this bastard."

After shoving me into the room and locking the door behind him, Giran turned to face me, his sneer phasing into a smile. "Sorry for the theatrics, kid. Some of those goons don't know how to keep their mouths shut even though I'm the one keeping them fed; damn ungrateful mutts. If they all kept their shit straight like you, I wouldn't have to worry 'bout it. Anyways, I'm assuming you're here because of what happened with the League, right?"

"Yeah, something like that. I'm not sure what you've heard, but I'm no traitor or spy. Things just got a little… complicated."

"Look, kid, you don't owe me any explanations. You worked with me for years, I know the kinda person you are. I ain't got no loyalties to the League or Shigaraki other than that of a service and customer relationship. It doesn't sound like you're asking me to choose a side anyway."

I laughed at the thought, Giran only cared for results and profit. We go back a long way, but for the right price, I'm sure he'd sell the very shirt off my back while I was still wearing it. "I know better than to try to make you pick one. But I had to ditch my place and all my stuff. I just came by to pick up my back-up plan, that's all."

"Ah, yeah. I suspected I'd be seeing you eventually to get it." Giran walked to the back of the room to the narrow desk in the corner and pulled open the slim wooden drawer. He pulled out the manila envelope that I'd entrusted to him years ago and closed the drawer behind him. "As you can see, it's still sealed and in the same condition as when you first asked me to keep tabs on it."

"Yeah, I appreciate it, Giran," I said as I reached my hand out to take it from him. He placed the end of it in my palm but still held his end firm.

"I hope you know what you're doing, kid. You really stirred up a hornet's nest."

Snatching the parcel out of Giran's hand, I nodded in agreement. "I'm well aware, but I've been stung by far worse and managed to come out just fine. I'll see you around, Giran."

"Sure thing, kid."

Leaving Giran's dump, I made my way down to the subway and took several trains, riding the rails in random directions through a good portion of my evening to shake off anyone that may have been tailing me. When I felt sure there were no extra sets of eyes in my direction, I went on my intended route and took the stairs back up to street level. I was a considerable distance from the center of town, an area that didn't see a lot of traffic or crime. Pulling the envelope out of my jacket's inner pocket, I slipped a finger under the lid and split the paper open. Tipping it over, a set of keys dropped into my hand. This was my back-up plan. I walked up to the apartment building, keeping an eye on my surroundings, but finding nothing out of the ordinary, which was why I chose this part of town. Putting the key to the door, I opened it up to my 'new' apartment.

Taking Giran's advice on always having another option if things go south, I made sure no one knew about this place. It was scarcely furnished, serving only as a shelter rather than an actual home. It housed extra clothes and supplies, nothing that would seem unusual for a single guy. My only failing was that I didn't stop for any food before heading here. Oh well, my stomach felt a little too jittery to eat tonight anyway.

Emptying the rest of the envelope's contents on the kitchen counter, some extra money rubber-banded together, a new SIM card for my phone, as well as some barely convincing fake IDs tumbled out. At the time I had tried to think of anything that would come in handy if I ever had to drop everything in my current life and get out. This apartment was never meant to be a permanent residence, only a momentary stop. Just a disposable room to use for a few days while I made the serious plans. Looks like I'll at least be able to have it fulfill that part of its purpose.

My past self did at least manage to provide present me with a bed, although the covers were far from fresh. Airing them out was necessary before I could settle in for the night. Tomorrow would really be the start of my plan, I thought as I rested for the first time in days, staring up at an unfamiliar ceiling with my hands laced behind my head.

The next day, I messaged Shoto from the new number the extra SIM card provided. I sent him a secure link to my new hideout and asked him to bring food. Shortly before sunset, he knocked on the door.

"Interesting choice of neighborhood. Did you know that this area was a retirement community before you rented here or was that just a coincidence?"

Staring at my little brother's deadpan expression, I couldn't help but laugh at his awkward attempt at a joke. "I actually did know that, which is why I chose it. Most elderly people don't waste time watching other people's comings and goings, so I felt it would be a smart choice. So what did you dig up on the old man, anything we can use?"

Shoto pulled some papers out of his bag and handed them to me. "There are several interviews planned once he's released from the hospital. A lot of them are in private studios or news stations. The one I circled would be our best option for reaching a large audience. It's going to be an outdoor event, broadcast globally. Should be easy to get close enough for you to do what you plan."

I sensed a slight hesitation in his voice at the end, "What is it, Shoto? Something bothering you about this? I told you not to get involved if you didn't think you could handle it."

"No, no. I'm still very motivated to follow through on this plan. But… I can't help but feel like doing this will ruin any chance of you being seen in a positive light. Everyone is only going to see a villain, and once you reveal who you are, your reputation will only be pulled further down."

Shaking my head, I patted Shoto's shoulder, "What people think of me won't hurt me, Shoto. Not after all this time. My reputation already means nothing to me, and if we can punish our father and have that be the only cost, then it'd be well worth it. I know I've been gone a long time, and I have a lot to make up for, but all I ever wanted was to have a normal life. Once he's out of the picture, I think we can finally achieve that."

Shoto nodded, his eyes looked a little cloudy but more confident than before my little speech. He cleared his throat and continued explaining what he felt would be the best way to infiltrate this interview. The kid had a good head for strategy, I gotta give him that.

After mapping out the rest of our plan, we stopped to eat some of the takeout food he had brought with him. It looked like he just randomly ordered off the menu with so many different boxes and sides. Didn't matter to me though, I was so damn hungry I tore through most of it on my own.

"You shouldn't eat so fast, Touya, you'll upset your stomach once you go to sleep."

"Shut up, kid," I spoke with a full mouth, rice flying off my lips as I spoke. "It's been a rough few days for me. Food wasn't a priority."

Snickering, Shoto passed me a napkin before taking a more serious tone. "I can imagine it was difficult trying to stay hidden, but you can't neglect yourself like that. I bought a lot, so make sure you don't skip any other meals, okay?"

Staring at him, I laughed until I choked momentarily on some fried chicken karaage. "Geez, which one of us is supposed to be the older brother again? Don't worry so much, you'll only end up with anxiety and wrinkles." I laughed it off, but it had been so long since someone else had genuinely been concerned with my well-being.

It was kinda nice to have that for a moment.


	13. Chapter 13

The day of the interview began with a bright, clear sky; perfect weather for such an important outside event. The heroes wanted to show that they still had things under control, even after losing All Might as their number one hero and nearly losing our old man as his replacement. That arrogance was going to be their downfall.

Shoto's plan was a simple one. Once Endeavor is finished giving his speech, the microphone will cut out and the sound system will pick up the signal from the one I'm carrying. So even though no one will know who is speaking or from where at first, their attention will be undivided. Then, as I get to the big reveal, I approach the stage and throw off my jacket to show the world just what their best hero is capable of doing. There would be no way for them to cover up my story as it airs live, no way for him to hide from his wrongdoings. This is the moment I've been waiting well over ten years to happen. Nothing was going to stop me from exacting my revenge today.

"Here, wrap this around your neck," Shoto said as he coiled a dull gray scarf around my neck and shoulders. "It'll help to conceal your identity until you're ready. Are you nervous?"

It was a good question, and as I watched from afar as our father took to the stage, I knew that I was set. "Nah, I've been ready for my fifteen minutes of fame," I said as I tipped the small microphone towards my little brother. "Is everything good on your end? All the wires in the right places and stuff?" Shoto nodded as he revealed the small receiver in his hand. Once he pushed the button, the show will officially begin for me.

"Okay, let's split up for now. Once he's finished blowing all his hot air we'll begin. Try to keep a low profile, and I'll see you on the other side, alright?" I mussed up his hair a bit, trying to inject some humor into the moment, and I managed to get a faint smile from him before he brushed my hand away.

"Be careful, Touya. I'll be out there giving you my full support, so make sure you say everything that needs to be said." He clapped his hand against my arm a couple times before lifting the hood on his jacket to hide his unique hair and blended in with the crowd. Looking back to the main stage, Endeavor was still talking, though his voice seemed less confident then I remembered. The remnants of his fight with the advanced Nomu were striking to see in the daylight. The scar that hijacked the left side of his face from hairline to chin was barely healed. I hadn't been paying much attention to what he was droning on about, until he paused for a moment that went on a little too long.

"I've had a lot of time to think recently after this attack, about what being a hero truly means. And I came to the harsh realization that I was wrong about a lot of my previous ideals and beliefs. You don't get many second chances in this line of work. One mistake can cost so much and can never be paid back. During that fight, I was faced with a mistake from my past. One that I don't think can ever be forgiven. But I'll do what I can in the present to make up for the failings of my previous…"

This son of a bitch… He must have known I'd be waiting to expose him and is spilling this bullshit to preempt me and discredit my story! No, he's not getting out of this and taking our chance for revenge today. I stormed towards the stage, the ends of the scarf Shoto gave me waving behind me as I pushed my way to the front. A hand hooked my arm at the elbow and halted my pursuit. I swung around, prepared to scorch whoever was preventing me from reaching my target.

"You can't do this! Do you have any idea what will happen if you follow through with what I believe you have planned?" said Shoto's annoyingly nosy classmate, Midoriya. Tears rimmed his eyes as he held onto my arm, his hand shaking as he did so. Shoto approached just as I wrenched my arm away.

"Midoriya, you weren't supposed to be here today. You said you were staying in the dorms."

Looking to my brother, Midoriya retorted, "And you said that you were going to do the right thing and turn him in! What's the matter with you two?! We've already lost All Might as a figure of strength the people can take comfort in, now you want to break that down even further? If you do what I'm thinking you intend to do, all trust in heroes will be destroyed!"

Grabbing Midoriya by his shirt, I pulled him close to my face. He cringed as I watched his eyes glance over my facial scars. His reaction fueled my anger even more. "Does it look like I give a damn what this society thinks of its heroes? The bastard standing at that podium did this to me, you picked up on that much, right, Mr. Hero-in-Training? You look at me with disgust and revulsion in your eyes when you should be directing that towards him! And you…" I said, pointing towards Shoto, "I told you that you needed to keep this brat silent. How could you be so stupid to let him figure all this out and come here?"

"I-I didn't tell him anything, I was careful to avoid any extra attention. I'm not sure how he could have known…"

Sighing deeply, I set off my flames against Midoriya's chest, the fabric of his t-shirt starting to catch fire, only to have my little brother freeze them out. These kids were testing my patience, and I had little of it left after waiting so long to get back at my old man for all the shit he's done.

"Shoto, he's standing in our way of vengeance. I told you that you'd better be prepared to get your hands dirty." Shoto snatched the green-haired boy out of my grasp and stood in front of him, shielding him from me.

"I know, and I was ready to do so. But… Not him. I owe him a considerable debt, Touya. We can still do this without having to resort to killing anyone! Just give me a chance to talk to—"

Rage poured through me as I slapped Shoto across the face hard, halting his speech. "The time for talking has passed, Shoto! You know him better than I do, and you know he won't let us follow through with our plans! Tch, screw it. Give me the receiver, I'll finish this myself. Stay out of my way, both of you."

Rubbing his hand against his swollen cheek, Shoto's brow furrowed, "Here, take it then." He tossed the small remote towards me, but an ear-piercing scream distracted me before I could catch it. Directing my attention towards the source of the commotion, I saw several Nomu had taken to the street, attacking people in the crowd without restraint. Looking to the stage, I caught Endeavor's gaze.

There was fear in his eyes, and that both delighted and unsettled me in that moment. A black mist seeped out of the air close to where our old man stood, and I knew exactly what and who to expect from it. Gray, twisted hands appeared through the portal as Shigaraki stepped through, one of the advanced Nomu followed him closely. He first glanced at Endeavor, then searched the quickly dispersing crowd before setting his eyes on me.

"Well now, Dabi, it looks like you've started the family reunion without inviting us! Hope you don't mind the added company."


	14. Chapter 14

Flames blazing from both hands, I charged Shigaraki, enraged that he'd choose this venue of all places to come after me.

"Hey, don't you dare stop rolling, keep the live feed going as long as you possibly can!" I heard a nearby voice yell. Several of the media stations that were covering the interview had taken shelter while still filming the events as they unfolded. Oh well, I was planning on using my fifteen minutes of fame here, may as well go with it.

I'd nearly gotten close enough to sear that damn smile off his half-hidden face when the Nomu next to him suddenly engaged me, blocking my attack.

"Still too scared to fight your own battles, huh, you spoiled brat?!"

Chuckling to himself, Shigaraki answered, "Oh no, nothing of the sort, Dabi. I fully intend on finishing you and the rest of your family off myself. But why should I waste my time on a low-level character? Maybe if you manage to increase your stats against Overdrive here, I'll consider you worth the effort."

Damn I hated him, but the aggressive Nomu demanded my attention as he charged me with full force. This one was different from High-End, I remembered seeing it in its maturation pod while I was retrieving High-End for the battle with Endeavor. I learned some facts about the Nomu project as I walked around the facility. I knew that Overdrive hadn't been created with any outstanding abilities other than enhanced strength, speed, and agility. It was intended to fight against heroes with similar skill sets like Hawks and that bunny girl Mirko. It was considerably out of place in this scenario, fighting against me. I also knew that it was far too soon for it to be a completed Nomu.

I had narrowly avoided Overdrive's first attack, and as I turned to hit it with my fire, Endeavor stepped in the way.

"Hey, get out of the damn way, you're ruining my shot!"

"Get outta here, I can handle this monster on my own," Endeavor retorted, getting even closer to the Nomu.

"Oh yeah, I can see how well that worked out for you the last time you faced one of these," I said, pointed out the barely healed scar on his face.

"I'm not dealing with this right now, Tou— Dabi. Just get out of my way and let me work!"

Wrong answer, old man. I flashed my blue fire and sent out a wall of flame towards the Nomu, not bothering to concern myself with how close Endeavor was to it. Doing so caused his own flames to be misdirected, aggravating him further.

"Damnit, why can't you just back off?!" Endeavor said as he spun around to face me. Unwilling to back down, I stood my ground as he approached, neither of us focused on our surroundings anymore. As far as I was concerned, he was another obstacle to remove from my path.

"Watch out!" Shoto yelled as an ice barrier suddenly formed next to us. It took a moment for me to realize its purpose, then Overdrive's silhouette presented itself against the nearly transparent ice. Shoto had moved closer to us, reinforcing his wall as he did so.

"Stop arguing and start paying attention, the villains are getting closer!" The Nomu was shoulder-checking the frozen barricade now, shaking its foundation and cracking it in several places. Shoto attempted to fix it once more when Overdrive rammed it head-first, shattering it to pieces. The monster caught my youngest brother in its sharply taloned hands and threw him to the other end of the stage as if he were a rag doll.

"Shoto!" Every muscle in my body wanted to rush to his side, but the behemoth that had just attacked him stood between us, ready for the next assault with a sharp-toothed grin. Reluctantly, I looked at my old man, the hero Endeavor. He realized how badly we'd screwed up, too distracted by our own issues to realize the danger surrounding us.

"This Nomu, Overdrive, it was taken out before it was fully matured, so it shouldn't be at its top form. You focus on ranged attacks, old man, I'll get in close and melt this bastard's brain into sludge."

"I can't do that with you so close," Endeavor replied, an air of concern I'd never heard before escaping from his lips.

"You're supposed to be a pro, aren't you? Then show me what you're capable of!" I said as I flanked the Nomu, drawing its attention away from Endeavor. I knew that I was its primary target, so it wasn't a difficult task to distract it. Once it had the old man out of its sights, I started slinging flaming blasts at its ugly face. I knew they wouldn't do much damage, but I wanted it to get used to the dull brightness of those flashes of fire.

I nodded to Endeavor, who set forth his line of sunset-shaded flames, surrounding Overdrive and rotating in a circular motion, swirling around the monster with an intense heat. This was the same fire vortex he had used to protect himself the night we had fought over ten years ago. His precision and accuracy were impressive, I had to admit. He'd only used it to surround himself last time, but he was using it as a long-distance attack now.

Overdrive grew agitated inside the sweltering hot enclosure, attempting to escape but halting once the temperature got to be too much for it to bear. Once it had turned its back to me, I made my move, launching myself over the wall of flames and latching onto Overdrive's upper back. I covered its eyes with my hands and set off the hottest, brightest fire I could muster, blinding it as it made a shrill screaming noise. Squeezing my legs around its waist tighter as Overdrive tried to shake me off, I pressed my hands further into its head, the scent of burnt hair and flesh overwhelming the air around us.

"Just… a little more…" As soon as I spoke the words out loud, Overdrive stopped struggling and fell to its knees. Hopping off, I lightly kicked it in the back, easily toppling it over, face-first with a considerable thud. Looking up, I could have sworn that for a moment I saw a smile on my old man's face. But it quickly disappeared as his sight focused to something behind me. Turning around, I saw what had him looking so shocked.

Shigaraki Tomura loomed over Shoto, unconscious and defenseless, his hand inching closer toward my brother's face.

"Don't you dare touch him you sick son of a bitch!" I yelled as I made to run to him. A hand gripped my ankle, throwing me off balance and hitting the ground hard. Looking back, it was Overdrive that had reached out to prevent me from stopping Shigaraki. I kicked at the monster's hand with my free leg, but it refused to let go.

"What a shame, Dabi. You were so close to getting what you wanted, weren't you? At least one of us will achieve our goal today. The one where I kill your family right in front of your eyes before finally disintegrating you piece by piece. I was expecting to destroy your father first, but I don't mind starting with the youngest Todoroki."

Even the old man was too far away to make it to Shoto in time to prevent Shigaraki from hurting him. Fighting against Overdrive, I dragged myself closer to them, the tips of my fingers cut and bleeding as I clawed the pavement seeking any possible grip to pull myself away from this monster's hold. I cried out again, searching the area for anyone else who could possibly stop him from killing Shoto.

"Goddamnit! Someone help him!" I screamed as I pounded my fist against the ground, barely registering the impact. I forced myself to look back to Shigaraki and was dumbfounded at the vision I saw.

Midoriya ran at a speed I could barely register toward Shigaraki, and launched himself into the air, landing his red combat boot square against Shigaraki's face, knocking him out of Shoto's way and sending that creepy hand mask flying.

"No one is dying today, Shigaraki. The heroes will always be here to stop you!" said the green-haired boy as he settled into a battle stance.

For the first time in ten years, I was glad to see a hero face off against a villain.

* * *

 **Author's Note: Hello readers! Just wanted to leave a quick note about the status of this fic. I am focusing all my attention on finishing this story and have two more chapters to write to wrap everything up, not counting chapters that are finished and awaiting editing/beta. I'm predicting the last chapter to be 18. I have some other writing commitments to focus on but I couldn't bring myself to put Touya's story on hold. I've enjoyed writing this so very much, and it's been tough to say 'okay, this is the end.' But I hope as you go through the rest of the story, you still enjoy it. As always I'm very thankful for you for taking time from your own day to read this, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the conclusion that should be out by this time next week! Thank you all!**


	15. Chapter 15

Tilting his head toward the asphalt, Shigaraki stood still, rage burning in his eyes as he processed what had just happened. Frantically searching the ground for his missing hand mask, he retrieved it and faced his opponent while placing it back over his face.

"Ahh, it's you again, Izuku Midoriya. You've become a considerable thorn in my side, even more so now that All Might is out of the picture. It doesn't matter, I'll still finish what I intended to do here. The hero society that you hold so dear is going to fall apart from under you!"

I'd never seen Shigaraki fight before, but his movements were surprisingly steady and fluid for someone so scrawny. The effort was wasted though, since the kid he was up against was far more agile, dodging him easily whenever he got in close to punch or attempt to use Decay on him. It was obvious that the older man wasn't used to exerting himself like this.

"Hold still, I'm gonna burn this bastard's hand off of you," Endeavor said as he knelt beside me and hovered his hand over the Nomu's wrist and began scorching it with his flames. It barely moved, although the grip did loosen slowly until I could slip out. Long, thin bruises started to develop from where it held fast as I struggled.

"Thanks," I said in a near-whisper as I stood up, unsteady at first. A dull ache resided in my ankle, but it wasn't anything that would hold me back in a fight. I caught Endeavor staring at me, but as our eyes met, he averted his gaze. Even amid all the fighting and chaos, the silence between us was considerable. At least until my old man broke it.

"You were going to tell them, weren't you? Was that your reason for coming back? To expose what happened years ago?"

"Don't you think they should know the kind of person you really are? What their number one hero is capable of? You had to have known it was going to come out someday. Especially after our short reunion after your fight with High-End. You even tried to do some damage control in your speech today by spewing out some bullshit about second chances and past mistakes."

Endeavor's expression softened, "I meant every word I said up there. I've had time to dwell on what happened back then. I had a lot of frustration and anger welling inside of me; trying my hardest to reach the top but always falling short. I purged those feelings of inadequacy in the worst way possible, taking it out on you and Shoto. I know I was wrong now, and I'm also fully aware that asking for forgiveness is useless. You have every right to reveal my sins to the world, and I won't try to stop you."

I wasn't expecting this, not from the man that had terrorized me for the first half of my life. Any words to say in reply were lost to me, so I just directed my attention back to Shigaraki. Not surprisingly, he had backed away from Midoriya and was taking a good look around. More heroes had shown up to deal with the other Nomu and were actively fighting them. Shigaraki grinned and nodded to himself.

"Well, a good player knows when to save his lives for the next playthrough. I'll let my Nomus and Overdrive finish this stage themselves. Don't think I'm just going to forget your betrayal, Dabi. I'll see to it that you get reduced to mere dust one day. Maybe even today, if it actually works." Shigaraki turned to Midoriya as that familiar black mist swirled behind him, "And I swear to you, Midoriya, our next meeting will not end as peacefully as today." He smirked as he stepped backward into the hazy portal, giving a half-hearted wave as he disappeared.

Questioning what Shigaraki meant when he said, 'if it actually works,' I didn't notice Midoriya rush over to Shoto's side right away. Something didn't sit right with me, even though Shigaraki had been defeated to the point of retreat, he still had an arrogant tone to his voice. There was something he was banking on to happen, but I couldn't figure out what it could be. Overdrive was down and the other Nomu weren't anything the heroes couldn't handle. So what made me feel so anxious?

"We should check on Shoto," Endeavor said as he stepped around the unmoving Nomu and joined the group that had gathered around my brother. Realizing that the last thing I had done to Shoto was strike him in anger before the attack started, I felt too ashamed to face him. Even so, I couldn't go without knowing his condition, so swallowing the guilt that welled up in my throat, I walked over to him.

The talons had left several long slashes along his left side that were mercifully shallow considering the force Overdrive had used when he tossed him aside. Some scratches and bruising from where he'd hit the ground seemed to be the extent of his other visible injuries. He was awake, his eyes glassy and pained. Seeing me, he tried to wave but the effort seemed enough to exhaust him. His brow furrowed as he stared at me.

"Touya, why are you crying?"

Touching my cheek, it was only then I noticed the tears streaming from my eyes. Sliding my sleeve over my face to dry them up, I shook my head. "It's nothing, kid. Don't worry about it. Just focus on getting better." The emergency workers had arrived, and we cleared a path to let them get Shoto ready to transport to the hospital. Once he was strapped in and on the gurney, he reached out his arm to me.

The second time I cried, I was fully aware of it. "I'm sorry, Shoto. For earlier, when I got so mad and hit you…"

"Sir, we need to move him now," one of the EMTs said impatiently.

"See you soon, Touya."

I nodded as I gripped his hand tightly and let go.

"I'm going to ride with him if that's okay, sir!" Midoriya said to Endeavor.

"Go, I have some loose ends to take care of here, I'll be there once they're done."

Once they were gone, we both looked around and noticed the fighting had ended. The Nomu were either defeated or subdued.

"Overdrive is still alive, we should secure it while it's unconscious," Endeavor said to another pro hero that had approached as Shoto was taken away.

With no warning, Overdrive started to move again. The wounds it had sustained didn't affect its movement as it rose to its feet and charged toward us again. The old man had his back to it, unaware, and before any of the other heroes nearby could even cry out a warning, the monster had gotten too close. Claws stretched wide and ready to slash, it went for Endeavor, the largest target it could find with the limited vision it had.

My feet moved faster than my brain, grabbing my old man's arm and tugging with all my strength to pull him out of Overdrive's path. The impact in which that monster hit me knocked me clear off my feet, my head bounced off the pavement with a sickening thud. It hadn't succeeded in cutting me or the old man, but it had used all its remaining strength to get to us. Collapsing to the ground with me, it grabbed my leg once more below my right knee, the nails sinking deep into my calf. Warm liquid slowly ran down from my forehead.

As my vision blurred and the world faded away, the last thing I heard were the first words Overdrive spoke, the voice cracked and animalistic.

"De…cay…"

A white-hot flash of pain erupted from my lower body, then nothing but darkness.


	16. Chapter 16

"Hey, he's waking up. Go get the doctor, Shoto."

Easing my eyes open, all I could make out were ceiling tiles. As I slowly regained my senses, the scent of rubbing alcohol and disinfectant hung thick in the air. Looks like I ended up in the hospital. Guess Overdrive didn't finish me off like I thought. What a shame, I think I'd rather have preferred that fate to ending up in another lonely hospital room.

Bright crimson hair came into view, and as I realized who it belonged to, I groaned. My old man was the last person I wanted to see. Even more motivated to get out of here now, I tried to push myself into an upright position and was met with a crippling pain in my side that forced me back against the bed.

"You're not gonna want to be moving around right now. You had internal injuries that required some extensive surgeries."

Wincing as the pain barely subsided, it took me a moment to catch my breath and speak. "How long have I been out?"

"Four days. They had to heavily sedate you to avoid any excessive movement that would aggravate your condition."

"What about Overdrive? The last thing I remember is…" Only recalling how hard it slammed into me before collapsing, I tried to think of what happened after that. "It spoke, didn't it? I know it said something before I passed out."

Endeavor's steel blue eyes looked away, his sight settling on something out of my peripheral vision. "It's dead now, but that Nomu used the same ability as Shigaraki Tomura. It was a weaker version that didn't activate automatically."

"That's not possible. Shigaraki still had his Quirk, how could he have transferred it into Overdrive?" The answer came to me easily once I asked the question aloud. He must have used Twice's Copy ability to replicate his Quirk. That's what 'if it actually works' meant. This was a test to see if that method of Quirk manipulation and copying was possible. Judging by the old man's grim expression, I could guess at how the results came out.

"Decay. It said Decay before I was out cold. Then, with the hold it had on my leg…"

"It's no longer there. Starting with your foot, the disintegration slowly crept up your leg. We had to stop the progression of the Quirk. So one of the nearby EMTs used their equipment to quickly sever your right leg, just below your knee."

Refusing to believe him, I moved my right hand down my side to confirm that he had to be lying, that my leg was still there. Maybe it was just broken or bruised, but as my fingers slid across the thin blanket covering me, I could feel the bandages beneath, thickly wound at mid-thigh. To check further required movement, and I just had to know. Leaning to the side gave me the additional distance I needed.

"Damnit, Touya, you can't keep moving like that, you're going to reopen the stitches!"

Ignoring his pleas, I fought against the searing pain until my hand reached my right knee— and felt nothing past that point.

"Are you satisfied now?" The old man took in a deep breath and let it out in a heavy sigh. "I suppose after all this time my words wouldn't mean much of anything to you."

Tears that accompanied the aching in my side flowed freely, "You should have just let it kill me! What am I supposed to do now?" Without the ability to move freely, I'd just lost my freedom and independence. I didn't want to live like this, helpless and broken.

My outburst camouflaged the opening door, so when I heard Shoto speak, it shut me up immediately.

"What you're _supposed_ to do now is stop talking like an ass and focus on getting some rest. I'm sure you're feeling overwhelmed right now, but the kind of crap you just said won't help anyone. No one wants you to disappear, Touya."

"Shoto…" I looked away, afraid to meet his eyes at first. "Are you okay?"

"I have a few new scars, but other than that, I'm fine. The doctor will be here shortly, but you look like you're hurting, I'll get the nurse's attention so they can give you something for the pain."

I really wished he hadn't heard any of what I said a moment ago. He was so assertive as he put me in my place. He returned with a nurse that injected some clear liquid into my I.V. It took little time to start to work, the initial numbing sensation gave way to considerable exhaustion, and I just couldn't keep my eyes open any longer.

* * *

When I woke up this time, my old man was gone but Shoto was still here. From what he told me, I was out for another three days, due to over-exerting myself when I first awoke. At least now I could sit upright with my bed inclined, so I didn't just have to stare at the same boring ceiling anymore.

"There's going to be a news broadcast, he said I should turn it on if you were awake," Shoto said as he turned the hospital tv on and found the channel. Our father was standing behind a podium with multiple microphones attached to it. The banner across the bottom of the screen read "Press Conference Requested by Number One Hero, Endeavor."

A reporter had been given the signal to ask a question. "Endeavor, during our coverage of the villain Shigaraki's Nomu attack, there is footage of one of the people affiliated with the League of Villains, known as Dabi, assisting you and the heroes. It's even seen that Dabi intentionally pulled you out of harm's way. Could you explain why this infamous criminal would do such a thing?"

Damn, I'd forgotten about those reporters hanging back and recording the fight. This wasn't the version of fame I had in mind for myself.

"That person is one of the reasons I called for this conference. In recent interviews, I had alluded to mistakes from my past and wanting to make up for them in the present and future. The villain known as Dabi, is in truth my oldest son, Touya. And as you can see in the video footage taken at that incident, his actions were nothing short of heroic. Ten years ago, I falsely reported his death during a training accident." Several hushed gasps were heard in the reporter's pool, flashes popping as cameras immortalized the moment Endeavor revealed his dark past.

"In truth, he was only defending himself and his family from the person that had pushed him too far. He didn't feel safe in his own home anymore and ran away because of my abusive behavior. The scars that he bears on his skin and in his soul are my responsibility. My past cruelty drove him away and into the dark side of thi—"

"Turn it off," I said, unable to look at the screen anymore.

"But this is what we wanted, for everyone to see him for what he really is."

"I'm tired of listening to what he has to say." Shoto abruptly turned the TV off and turned back to me. Listening to my father give his account of our last encounter brought up too many memories that I'd spent a decade trying to forget. Maybe I wasn't as prepared to face this as I thought.

"Are you really satisfied with that, Touya?"

"I suppose I'll have to settle for this much. He took all the fun out of me getting to tell the world. Guess as long as the message is out and people can see him for the shitbag that he is, then there's nothing else to be done."

"I'm sorry, Touya. This isn't even close to an appropriate punishment for all he did to you."

"There's nothing for you to feel sorry for. I'm fine with this much. Besides… The person at that podium wasn't the same man I faced ten years ago. I could see all the ways you had changed from the last time I saw you, Shoto. Somehow it didn't dawn on me to think that he was capable of changing as well."

Shoto nodded, stretching against the narrow hospital chair and rising to his feet. "I'm gonna see what they have in the cafeteria, is there anything you want me to bring back for you?"

"Good idea, I'm starving. Surprise me, kid."

As he swung the door open to leave, I noticed the uniformed officer seated outside next to the doorway. An armed guard posted to make sure a wounded guy with one leg doesn't escape before he gets a good taste of justice.

Suddenly I didn't have much of an appetite.


	17. Chapter 17

I'm sure the old man pulled some strings to make it happen, but I was allowed to recover from my injuries in the hospital rather than being taken into custody. On the day they came for me, Shoto had brought one of his classmates, a very strange pink-haired girl with a multitude of tools and gadgets in her possession. She spent most of the visit looking at my leg stump and taking measurements.

"I told you before Shoto, I don't want a prosthetic. Just let it go, alright?"

The chick turned to look at me with disappointment in her eyes, "Aww, don't say that! I have sooo many ideas for the perfect baby to get you back on your feet again!"

"All I need is a crutch, you can keep your hero gear for someone that deserves to get them. I won't be doing much walking for a while anyway, it'd just be wasted on me."

"I wish you'd stop feeling sorry for yourself and just let us help you!" said Shoto in an unexpected outburst. "Touya, you deserve to have the ability to walk comfortably again just like any other person with a similar injury."

"What, so one of the other inmates can rip it off and beat me with it? Yeah, I think I'd rather just stay the one-legged man in the ass kicking contest, thanks."

The knock on the door interrupted my little brother's rebuttal. Two uniformed officers stepped in, followed by the police chief and our father. The gadget girl took the hint, gathered her gizmos and tapped Shoto on the shoulder before leaving the room.

"The hospital cleared him for transport to the station. Fortunately, the trial will be starting at the beginning of the week," Endeavor said.

"Heh, fortunately, you say." I'd spent nearly a month recovering from the injuries caused by the Nomu, Overdrive. Most of that time was spent learning how to walk again with the help of a crutch. I guess staying occupied like that would speed time along when you're not waiting inside a jail cell.

I pushed myself off the hospital bed, gripping the crutch in my right hand and tucking it under my arm. I was still a little unsteady at times, but I wasn't going to slow anybody down getting out of here.

"So, you gonna cuff me to my crutch, or what?" I said to one of the officers, a thick layer of sarcasm rolling off my words. No one was surprised when the officer did just that, a smirk on his face as he slid the cuff as tight as he could get it against my wrist.

The police chief stepped aside and gestured for us to proceed. Shoto looked away as I walked past him. He tried to avoid my eyes, but I could see how much he hated seeing me getting taken away like this. His hands were trembling at his sides, no doubt wishing he could stop it from happening.

"Okay, Shoto. I'll take the stupid fake leg. But only after I do my time. I wasn't kidding about the ass kicking contest." At least now he was looking at me with something other than sorrow reflecting in his eyes. I'd given him something to work towards. It wasn't much, especially with how uncertain it would be when I'd be a free man again. But at least now we both had something to look forward to.

 **Eight Months Later**

The trial didn't last long. The evidence of my past crimes was there, but the prosecution found it difficult to find anyone willing to corroborate most of it. This was due to the League of Villains covering their tracks after their missions. I expected them to have trouble supporting some of their charges, but not all my sins were covered up, and I knew they shouldn't. This was me facing my past and being prepared to be punished for it. I pleaded guilty to everything.

Many heroes testified both for and against my case. My father and brother were in the minority of those in support of me. Though there were a couple heroes who admitted that what I had done to save Endeavor and others during the Nomu attack was commendable and could be seen as the start of atonement for my past life.

In the end, with all the testimony and my own recent actions taken into account, I was handed down a sentence of ten years in prison, with possible probation for good behavior. So I'll spend another decade in a dark place. But this time, it'll be different. This time, I won't force myself to be alone.

"Hey Todoroki, visitation, time to get hoppin'," said the guard as he opened my cell.

"And somehow that joke is still just as old and dull as it was the first time you said it eight months ago, Mr. Kurochi." I replied, shaking my head as I gathered my crutch and made my way out.

"Grow your leg back and I'll come up with some new material. Maybe something about all those burns your daddy gave ya."

I had a hearty laugh at that, which I could tell unnerved the guard. "Well if that's the only thing you can come up with to talk shit to me, then I must not be doing that bad."

Meeting me in the small visitor's room were all three of my siblings. I got to sit with them for an hour every other week, listening to them share the latest stories from their lives outside. Shoto reported that he was voted the class rep for his second year at UA. Natsuo started the college internship for his medical welfare field of study. Though he missed having the free time he had before, since it didn't give him much time to visit the beach. Fuyumi's students were driving her up the wall this semester, but she still cherishes them and gives them her support.

This time we have together is something I look forward to twice a month. I feel like I'm still getting to be a part of their lives, even if I can't be there to witness any of it myself. Their visits are one of many reasons I don't do anything to ruin my chances of getting out of here sooner. Because I do want to be there in person to see just how my family grows from here.

It's interesting how similar this feels to the time I spent in the hospital after the fight with our father. I was isolated for so long then, just as I am now. But unlike in the past, I have the support of my family. It's the bright light at the end of the dark tunnel I'm currently navigating.

After we said our goodbyes, I was led back to my cell and had just settled back onto my cot when the guard with the worst sense of humor came back once more.

"You're quite the popular cripple today, Todoroki. Back to visitation."

"Huh? But there's no one else signed in to see me."

Kurochi shrugged, "Does it look like I care who wants to see your ugly mug?"

Sighing, I got back up and returned to the visitation room. I would have never been able to predict in a million years who would be sitting there.

"M-Mother?"

It had been so long since I'd last seen her. The years hadn't forgotten her; wrinkles and lines adorned her porcelain skin. Her gray eyes seemed tired, but not as troubled as I remembered. Shoto told me that she'd been committed to a mental hospital under our father's orders shortly after she'd burned him. Had she finally managed to improve? Much like the last time we met like this, I didn't know how to approach her, so all I could do was stare at her while standing still, hoping she'd make the first move.

"I'm sorry, Touya. For everything. I know that you've harbored hatred and anger towards Enji for all that happened in the past. But there was so much I let happen. I wasn't a strong person, then or now. I'm trying to get better, I am. But even as weak as I was back then, the fact that I pushed you to leave remains one of my biggest regrets. No amount of pleading will ever relieve the shame that I feel for doing so. I had to face you and tell you this, because I realize that you deserve to see the one that wronged you punished, just as you wished to do to Enji. So please, let me hear your hateful words. He may have wounded your body, but I know I was the one that scarred your heart. Don't let me go unpunis—"

I couldn't let her finish her sentence. Moving as fast as I could to close the gap between us, I dropped my crutch as I threw my arms around her, sobbing against her shoulder. "I can't do that, Mom. We've all been hurt by our past. Being strong for each other now is the only way to make ourselves whole again."

We didn't bother with words anymore after that. This was where our healing as a family would begin.

* * *

 **AN- One more chapter to go! I hope everyone's been enjoying the fic. What as your favorite moment? Favorite line? As it comes to an end, I'd love to find out what you, the readers, liked as you went through the story. Thanks again for reading, and hope you enjoy the last chapter, which I'll have up in a couple days!**


	18. Chapter 18

As the months turned to years behind prison bars, I didn't really pay attention to much that was going on outside the prison walls other than what Shoto and my other siblings told me during our visits. Mother would join them sometimes; other times it would be the old man. He was trying his best to change, anyone could see that. But Shoto and I still tried to give him shit whenever possible. We could see his efforts were sincere, but we couldn't help but give him a hard time. After some consideration, they decided to do away with the hero ranking system. So the old man ended up losing his top rank, although he didn't outwardly seem troubled over it.

Three years into my stay, I got to witness Shigaraki being escorted in with full guards on. Thick padded gloves encased his hands, making it impossible for him to use his Decay Quirk. As we passed each other in the hallway on my way to visitation, I just gave a little wave and a wink. His expression soured as he saw my mocked greeting and rolled his eyes in passing.

"You're kidding, that freckled brat took down Shigaraki?!"

Shoto nodded as he filled me in on the details. "Yeah, he's truly come into his own as a hero. Though the battle was fierce. Midoriya lost vision in his left eye and nearly lost an arm. His recklessness hasn't lessened at all since we graduated."

"The kid's got balls to take down the leader of the League though. You should have seen the look on Shigaraki's face when he got paraded in here with those potholders over his hands! It'll likely be the only time I see him since they'll be putting him in solitary below ground, but that was a damn satisfying moment." Knowing he was locked away here gave me the peace to know that none of the remnants of the League would dare to threaten my family now.

Of course, this didn't stop Shigaraki from attempting to kill me while I was here. Every now and then, some insignificant thug would try to shank me or use his weakened Quirk against me. And each time, I'd be ready with my own defense to stop them in their tracks. They give us regular doses of Quirk suppressants, but they don't always do a thorough job on whether it's absorbed after we take it. As long as I kept my flames low enough to not set off any of the alarms, I could easily defend myself against any idiot sent by the League to kill me. I didn't always get away unharmed, but at this point, a few more scars are nothing. Plus I had to make sure none of their silly attempts triggered any misconduct on my part. I didn't want their bullshit ruining my chance at parole.

Just after the sixth anniversary of my incarceration, I was granted a parole hearing. Seeing no negative behavior in my file, the board decided to grant it, and I was a free man once again. Shoto was there to meet me at the gate.

"It's good to see you on this side of the building again," Shoto said as he took the small bag that held my belongings from me. "You ready to go home?"

Home. The place and concept had been foreign to me for so long. After I left it, I never found myself in a place I could consider home. I just lived and survived where I could; just temporary rooms and apartments. None of them felt permanent. The thought of going back made me nervous. How much of it had changed? If I stepped over the threshold and didn't feel a connection there, what would I do then?

"Yeah, as ready as I'll ever be." The prison-issued crutch was nearing the end of its usefulness, the rubber grip torn and sticky from years of sweat. It creaked with each step I took, and although I had gotten used to the sound, it immediately irked my little brother.

"Oh, and don't think I forgot about your promise. We have an appointment with Hatsume the day after tomorrow. She's made a few options for you to choose from."

Shaking my head, "Even though I managed to come out on top in the ass kicking contest? Yeah sure, I'll give them a try, I suppose." I didn't expect Shoto to forget about the deal we had made for when I got released. But what right did I have to be able to walk normally again? Wasn't the loss of my leg just another part of my punishment for all I had done? All the deaths I was responsible for, the crimes I committed. Could six years really be enough to make up for it all?

"I'm looking forward to seeing you stand tall again, Touya. Let's go, everyone is waiting."

* * *

The house felt smaller as we pulled into the driveway in Shoto's car. The walls were faded from weather and time, but it still looked as sturdy as ever. I wasn't as worried for the structure as I was for the atmosphere within. I wondered if the fear and tension still clung to the walls inside, right where I had left all my emotions after facing off against the old man. Even with one leg, I was nervous to take the first step inside. Luckily, the door opened and revealed my sister's smiling face, easing my nerves.

"Touya! It's so good to have you back! We're all waiting inside, let's go!" Fuyumi rushed up to me and put her arm against the small of my back, urging me forward.

Even though the outside of the house was worn, the inside hadn't changed at all. The smell of floor wax and incense hung in the air. Natsuo met us in the foyer, grinning and slapping me on the back. This energy within the house now, it was positive and warming. So much had changed in the last sixteen years since I'd been here. It had been far too long since I felt comfortable somewhere.

"There's food in the living room, I'm sure you're hungry. We made a lot so don't be shy to dig in, bro!" Natsuo said.

Grinning in reply I answered back, "Yeah, I just need a moment. Be right back." Waving them away to show I didn't need any company or assistance, I walked down the hallway. They must have known where I wanted to go and knew not to follow.

The training room also felt smaller, though it could be because I had grown since I was here last. Observing the equipment, I walked across the room, noting to myself what was new. Standing now in the spot where I had fallen, I realized that there were burnt markings left in the floorboards and even partially up one of the walls. They were the same as the ones I had made the night I fought with our father, they had to be. Walking over to the wall, I ran my hand across it, feeling the rough texture beneath my fingers.

"I never bothered to repair the damage. It reminds me of how strong you were that night."

I whipped around to see the old man standing in the doorway.

"You fought well back then. I was wrong to doubt your strength. My own was wavering at the time, and it was wrong to take it out on you and Shoto. I can't do much to repair the past, just like these scorched sections of wood can't be easily replaced. But I want to do better."

I had to laugh at how sentimental my father sounded. It was so out of character, though at the same time, completely sincere. "You must be getting soft in your old age."

The rest of the day was full of food and conversation. Having been secluded for so long, it was overwhelming at times, even though they were all people I trusted and cared for.

"I'll be right back, need to get some fresh air," I said as I picked up my crutch and went toward the courtyard. Stepping out into the warm summer night, I closed my eyes and leaned my head up to the sky. It was good to feel the breeze through my hair again. It had returned to its original red shade since hair dye wasn't a common commissary item. I had no urge to change it now.

* * *

"Hello, Touya! If you're looking for Todoroki, he's in the main conference room. You can go right in, he should be free to talk," said Midoriya as we passed in the hall. He had gotten taller since I'd last seen him, sporting a thin eyepatch over his left eye. I nodded in response and kept going towards the room. The prosthetic that Shoto's associate made fit me like a glove, although the extra features she added to it were a little… excessive. I didn't see any use for a retractable knife boot or flamethrower in my daily routine. The thought of having them at my disposal isn't entirely unwanted though. You'll never know what situation you'll find yourself in these days.

"Ah, Touya, I have to take some paperwork over to Iida, walk with me?" Shoto had started a hero agency with his classmates, so almost half of his day involved the business end of things rather than actual hero work.

"So how often do you end up dealing with the League now?"

"After Deku managed to defeat and capture Shigaraki three years ago, there's been little to no movement from any of the remaining League members. Based on your old information, there wasn't a clear leader that would have taken over, so it could have just fallen apart."

"I think it would have been me. If Shigaraki fell, and Kurogiri went with him, I think I would have been the next to lead the League of Villains."

"Is that so…" said Shoto.

"You almost sound disappointed, little brother. Bored, even. Should I grab my jacket and set a few fires for you to extinguish? Cause a little chaos so you don't have to do any more desk work?"

"I think we're good, Touya. I wish you'd reconsider the offer to join us here. If you're so intent on setting off those blue flames of yours, you could at least do it fighting on our side."

With an audible groan, I palmed my hand against my face. "Not this again. I told you why I don't want to join, Shoto."

"Yeah, and it's a bullshit excuse. You told me yourself that ever since you set off your first spark you wanted to be a hero. There's no time limit on dreams, big brother. My offer still stands, you'd make a great addition to our agency."

I'd told him when he first asked me to join his agency that it just didn't feel right. After spending so much time on the other side, the villain side, what could I possibly offer as a hero? I had grown accustomed to the darkness, and it wasn't any simple task to just suddenly wade through that and say 'oh, here I am, the hero that's going to save the day!' But Shoto was relentless. Constantly pushing me and trying to get it through to me that I was more than capable of being the hero I had wanted to be.

Even six years later, Shoto was still working to save me. And you know what? Who am I to keep him from achieving his dreams by forsaking my own?

"Tch, well I'm not changing my costume. Or the name. If there's anyone left in the League, at least they'll know who they're going up against."

Shoto smiled, "Of course they will, they'll be facing one of the greatest heroes in our time."

 _Oh, this boy._

* * *

 **AN- I want to thank everyone that's read, commented, and liked Touya's story. I've always found Dabi's character to be so mysterious and tragic. I know we still don't have a lot of canon backstory for him, but it's always interesting to come up with a 'what if?' backstory of your own, and that's what I did here. So, what did you think? Did it end the way you hoped? How do you think he'd work as a hero? I'm sad that it's ended, but I had a great time working on Brotherly Love and enjoyed all the comments and conversations with you readers that resulted from it. Thank you so much!**


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